SAINT ROSE COMMENCEMENT CELEBRATES STUDENTS, SERVICE AND PHILANTHROPY

ALBANY (May 11, 2013) -- It was a day for celebrating outstanding accomplishments and exceptional futures.

The College of Saint Rose celebrated its 90th Annual Commencement today with addresses from James Sandman, president of the Legal Services Corp. and an Albany native, and Capital Region philanthropist Patricia Hunter Standish and by awarding degrees and certificates of advanced study to 1,609 students. The ceremony was held in the Times Union Center in Albany and attended by more than 750 students.

Honorary degrees were awarded to Sandman and to both Patricia Hunter Standish and her husband J. Spencer Standish.

In addition, the College bestowed the Carondelet Medal, its highest honor, on the Most Rev. Howard J. Hubbard for his 36 years of service as bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany and his dedication to interfaith dialogue and understanding. Saint Rose named its on-campus interfaith sanctuary for Bishop Hubbard in 1997.

“Good people finish first!” said speaker Sandman, one of the nation’s premier voices for the poor, whose message was later praised by numerous graduates. “What I mean by this is that no matter what you do in life, personal character, integrity, kindness, generosity and service to others contribute to success by any measure.

“Whoever said that nice guys finish last was a cynic, a loser, and wrong,” he added, to huge applause.

Drawing on a growing body of research and stories of people who have influenced him the most, Sandman spoke of how personal character, integrity, kindness, generosity and service to others will contribute to the graduates’ success.

“You are Saint Rose. You are equipped to set the world on fire. Live the values that you have learned here. Be proud to be known for your integrity, your kindness, your generosity, and your service. And whatever you do, be confident in the knowledge that good people finish first,” Sandman said.

In his first commencement since becoming the College’s president in 2012, Dr. David Szczerbacki urged the graduates to rise above the cynicism and defeatism of today’s society by noting what he learned from his father at a very young age.

“Work ethic matters. Showing up prepared matters. Doing the dirty work matters,” Szczerbacki told the new degree-holders. “You now have the skills needed to lead in an increasingly complex, interconnected world. Remember that the cure for cancer is still in the future; the next great American symphony is still in the future; world peace and the end of poverty are still in the future.”

Like Sandman, Szczerbacki also underscored the importance of perpetuating the spirit of generosity that is the foundation of a Saint Rose education.

“My hope is that this ethic will define you for all of your tomorrows,” Szczerbacki said. “My hope, as expressed by my daughter, Katie, at my inauguration in October is that you will not be a ‘free rider.’ Carry your load. Give back. Be a leader in your community.”

One of the newest graduates, Lenny Brumfield, left the ceremony with his sister, and they were hard not to notice. The sister wore a t-shirt (custom-printed) that read: “My brother is a college graduate!” on the front; on the back: “My brother is going to law school!” Brumfield, a criminal justice major, will start at Albany Law School in the fall.

“I liked that they talked about our futures and that we need to remember kindness,” said Brumfield of the ceremony, as his sister beamed.

The Class of 2013 joins nearly 37,000 alumni of Saint Rose living in 48 states and the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and 26 countries. More than 50 percent of the College’s alumni live and work in the Capital Region.

ABOUT JAMES SANDMAN

A specialist in product liability and toxic torts, Albany-native Sandman spent 30 years at Washington law firm Arnold & Porter LLP and was the firm’s managing partner from 1995 to 2005. He served as president of the 93,000-member Bar Association of the District of Columbia in 2006 and on the board of governors from 2003 to 2008. Sandman also was vice chair of the bar association’s Pro Bono Committee and established a strong track record for his pro bono work and support for numerous arts and human service organizations.

Inspired by a speech by Washington Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee in 2007, Sandman became general counsel and chief legal officer for the Washington school district. In January 2011, following Rhee’s departure, Sandman stepped down to become head of the Legal Services Corp. LSC was created by Congress in 1974 and continues to be the largest single funder of civil legal aid programs for low-income people in the U.S., supporting 134 programs with more than 900 offices in every state and territory.

Sandman has a long family connection with Saint Rose. His mother, Margaret Dugan Sandman (1919-2010), was valedictorian of the Saint Rose Class of 1940, served as president of the Alumnae Fund and on the College’s board of trustees and received the Carondelet Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005. His father, Edgar, also served on the College’s board, and Sandman’s sister, Nancy, graduated from Saint Rose in 1970.

ABOUT J. SPENCER AND PATRICIA HUNTER STANDISH

During their 40 years of unparalleled generosity, the Standishes have maintained a special relationship with The College of Saint Rose, where Patricia earned her bachelor’s degree as a dual English literature and Spanish major and, later, a master’s degree in English. She served on the College’s board of trustees from 1993 to 1998 and, with her husband, has never hesitated since to support new ventures at the College. Spencer Standish, a graduate of the Massachusetts Institutue of Technology, was executive vice president and chairman of Albany International, leading the company’s global expansion and steering it for several decades until he retired in 1998.

The Standish name is synonymous with education throughout the Capital Region and beyond, as the family has left its imprint on projects ranging from endowed professorships and research libraries at colleges and universities to playgrounds at elementary schools. Spencer Standish’s long list of awards includes the Capital Region Business Hall of Fame Award and Albany Medical Foundation’s Individual Philanthropist of the Year. Patricia Standish continues her active support for the arts, serving as trustee of Capital Repertory Theatre and on the board of the New York State Council on the Arts. Her involvement also extends to the AIDS Council of Northeastern New York, the American Cancer Society and the United Way of Northeastern New York.

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href:#link:showcaption:0showtitle:0title:The 90th Saint Rose Commencement Begins on May 11 2013caption:The Graduates are all in place as the 90th Annual Saint Rose Commencement Ceremony begins at the Times Union Center